NFL: Patriots at Jets
The 12-2 Patriots can clinch the No. 1 AFC spot with a win over the Jets. New York is looking to stay in the AFC hunt. Our expert previews.
The Patriots are going to the Super Bowl. The Pats overcame the Titans last week to move to 12-2 to sit alone on top of the AFC. The Patriots are the best team in the AFC and they are going to be in Super Bowl 50. The Jets are pretty good too, with a 9-5 record and a very happy Ryan Fitzpatrick. Are they worth more than a field goal against Tom Brady though? No, they ain’t.
This is shaping up to be one of the biggest games of the regular season. It’s a particular highlight as each team has some big weapons and some new ones. The Patriots picked up Steven Jackson during the week to freshen up their ground game, yet again. Jackson is a baller and an impact player. He has a prime opportunity to prove a point in a Super Bowl-bound team here and he should take his chance and run with it.
If the Jets are to win, they have to stop Gronkowski. Not only does he demand double coverage, but him always being on the field, he takes the emphasis away from the Patriots’ other key guys like Amendola. He is the best tight end of all time and can single-handedly shift lines. The Jets might have learned how to scheme for the big man, but Belichick will have some tricks up his sleeve to get the win here.
The Jets need Chris Ivory to have a good day if they want to win this one. However, the Patriots are the 10th best rushing defense in the league. This game also sees the 25th-best passing offense with the Jets going up against the 7th best passing defense in the league in the Patriots. All signs point to limited offensive production for New York.
This is an extremely important game for the Jets. They need to win to stay in the AFC playoff race. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been playing great in his past 3 games, and the Patriots have lost their leading tackler Patrick Chung. However, as we have seen with the Patriots, their backups can always come in and perform very highly. More than anything, they are a team, and they usually perform as one.
The Pats can clinch the No. 1 AFC seed with a win here and I like them to do so. This is a good Jets defense, but I don’t think they can hold back a particularly angry Patriots team. A lot of people are picking the Jets for the upset here, but I think it’s an overreaction to past trends. The match-up favours the Patriots.